Don't worry, you're not alone. Here's a brief rundown of what you need to know.

1. First off, what should I know about UKRAINE's history?

Here's your cheat sheet: Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe that used to be part of the Soviet Union. It became an independent country when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Ukraine shares its eastern border and part of its northern border with Russia, and to the south is the Black Sea. The west and northwest of Ukraine is bordered by several European countries, including Poland, Hungary, and Romania.

Take a look at the map below, because geography is key here: The huge chunks of Ukraine that border Russia are filled with Russian-speaking Ukrainians, who generally favor close ties with Russia. Those who live in the western half, bordering European Union countries, speak Ukrainian. They tend to look toward western European nations for guidance, and are keen for Ukraine to become part of the EU.

At the eleventh hour, Yanukovych backed out of the deal, which had taken years to negotiate. Those who had long been willing this momentous step forward in EU-Ukraine relations were devastated, and took to the streets to express their anger.

PBS NewsHour on YouTube

3. WHY DID YANUKOVYCH REJECT THE EU DEAL?

Simply put, he didn't want to piss off Russia. That may seem ridiculous, but Russia still holds a lot of power over Ukraine. The two countries currently have an open economic zone agreement, and Russian President Vladimir Putin was threatening Yanukovych with sanctions.

Russia is also responsible for delivering a huge amount of gas to Ukraine, for which it charges Ukrainians an incredibly high rate. Disputes over gas prices have led Russia to switch off the gas supply to Ukraine in the past which (since most gas pipelines from Russia to the rest of Europe go through Ukraine) means gas is switched off in other parts of Europe too. And yes, Russia has no qualms about switching it off in the depths of winter.

In return for not signing the agreement with the EU, Putin dangled cheaper gas prices in front of Yanukovych's nose. He followed this up a few weeks later with an offer to buy $15 billion worth of Ukrainian government bonds. Yanukovych, whose country got well and truly walloped by the financial crisis, couldn't resist.

4. HOW DID YANUKOVYCH GET ELECTED?

With all the horrific images of the fiery battle currently raging in Kiev flying around the internet, it's easy to forget that not all Ukrainian citizens want to overthrow Yanukovych. Those in the Russian-speaking eastern half of the country are generally Yanukovych supporters. In the map below, the dark blue areas represent the places where more than 70 percent voted for Yanukovych. It wasn't exactly a landslide — the dark orange areas show where pro-Europe rival Yulia Tymoshenko won by more than 70 percent — but Yanukoych did win the 2010 election fair and square. He followed up this win with a move that seems borrowed directly from Putin — he threw rival Tymoshenko in prison. She's still there today.

All online news outlets are now required to register as such and, at the request of the government, internet service providers have to cut off internet access to any groups or individuals the government chooses.

8. WHY HAS THE SITUATION SUDDENLY ESCALATED?

Around 20,000 protesters began marching from Independence Square toward the parliament buildings on Tuesday in support of a vote to reinstate the 2004 Constitution, which would limit Yanukovych's power and strengthen parliament. Riot police drove armored vehicles into the crowd, sparking the bloodiest battle of the uprising to date. By Wednesday, 26 people were dead.

The European Union is appalled and deeply dismayed by the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. No circumstances can justify the repression we are currently witnessing. We condemn in the strongest terms all use of violence. Those responsible for grave human rights violations should be brought to justice ... We call upon the Government to exercise maximum restraint and opposition leaders to distance themselves from those who resort to radical action, including violence.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney released the following statement earlier Thursday:

As the situation in Kiev continues to spiral out of control, it's unclear what EU leaders' next steps will be if these sanctions have no effect.

You can continue to monitor the situation in Independence Square on this live Web feed. (Warning: violent content.)